1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to an image forming apparatus which has a special feature of receiving and processing image data divided into a plurality of pieces.
2. Description of Related Art
There have been conventionally provided printers that create print data based on image data received via a communication line, and print an image on a medium, such as paper, corresponding to the created print data. Recent years have seen significant advances in the communications technology, including communication between personal computers using the Internet. Electronic mail (hereinafter referred to as “mail”) delivered over the Internet makes transmission and reception of image data very easy. Thus, printers capable of printing image data received over the Internet are conceivable.
A data file in the form of mail and created by converting image data is generally very large. Transmission and reception of such a file as mail will adversely affect the performance of the entire communication system. To reduce the data amount in the file, a technique may be used that divides the image data into a plurality of files to be sent as pieces of mail. In this case, however, a printer, upon receipt of such pieces of mail, forms separate images corresponding to the respective pieces of mail, failing to restore the undivided original image.
More specifically, as mail is delivered via various routes, instead of via a fixed route, the sequence of the divided pieces of image data may be changed, or unrelated mail may be placed between the divided pieces of image data. In this case, it is much more difficult to restore the undivided original image from the received divided pieces of image data.